Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (18 November 2016) – The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF) has announced a one year partnership with the Cayman Islands National Museum (CINM) to showcase some of the Hall’s collection of rare artefacts.

Over the last 15 years, the ISDHF has acquired some of the most historically significant pieces for the dynamic sport of scuba diving that reflect the growth and innovation of the industry. Leslie Leaney, Executive Director of ISDHF said: “This partnership provides residents and visitors an opportunity to experience some of the most treasured scuba diving artefacts in the world. This display has been carefully curated by the Board and we are excited to have the expertise of the CINM team to help us tell the story of ISDHF and its role in honouring the industry. This exhibit will be the first of its kind in the Cayman Islands and we encourage all persons to visit throughout the year to experience it first-hand.”

The ISDHF exhibition feature spaces will consist of:

• ISDHF Display in main changing gallery floor at CINM featuring artefacts from the ISDHF museum
• Local Honouree display in Legends Gallery Floor focusing on pioneers of the Cayman Islands scuba diving industry

“The Cayman Islands National Museum is an important cultural attraction and we are very pleased to partner with the museum to offer this unique dive theme as an enhancement to the current content of the museum offering,” shared Mrs Rosa Harris, Director Tourism. “We are confident that the display will be well received both locally and with our visitors. The dive and watersports industry is a key component to the continued success of tourism within the Cayman Islands and we are proud to be able to showcase not just the artefacts, but those who have made the industry remarkable locally and internationally. ”

The exhibit will open in late November and will continue for a one year period. More details about the exhibit opening will be announced in the near future.

Dr Peggy Leshikar-Denton, Director of the CINM, says “We are honoured that the National Museum will be the first physical home of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame – marking yet another significant milestone in the Cayman Islands’ and World Diving History. The exhibits feature diving pioneers and their cleverly crafted tools, which have enabled survival, exploration, and the capturing of underwater imagery through photography and videography, as well as celebration of the birth and development of the Cayman diving industry,” she said.

This is the first time that many of the artefacts will be on display in the Cayman Islands.

Background

The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame was founded in 2000 by the Ministry of Tourism of the Cayman Islands. Since the Cayman Islands is a leading pioneer in dive travel and is a premiere world destination for divers, it seemed only natural that the Cayman Islands should be home to a hall of fame honouring those people who have contributed the most to the sport of Scuba diving.

The mission of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame is two-fold: The first is to honour those people who have helped to make the sport of Scuba diving possible, safer, more popular and more enjoyable. We honour those people with a two-day stay in the Cayman Islands where they receive an award at an induction ceremony and information about them will be included in a physical hall of fame to be housed in the Cayman Islands. The second mission is to bring a promotional advantage to the Cayman Islands by their being the home to this prestigious and unique hall of fame.